Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1887-10-06

NO Idea can De gwen at tnlS date OF tne eA-
element occasioned in a quiet neighborhoot
in old times by the discovery of the mere
presence of such characters as Aboitionists
II was as if the foundations of the whole social
fabric were undermined. 1t was the sudden
darkening of Shadow that always hung IN
the horizon The slaves were in a large ma
jority, and had they risen, though the final
issue could not be doubted the lives of every
wi bite on the plantations must have paid the
forfeit Whatever the right and wrong of
slavery might have been, its existence de
nanded that no outside interference with it
should be tolerated. So much was certain;
s.lf preservation required this.
| was at the time Of which speak, well
grown lad. and had been for two sessions to
a boarding school, where l bad got rid of
some portion-l will not say Of all-of the
superstition OF my bnyhond The spirit of
adventure was beginning To exert itself IN me,
and had begun to feel sense of en- oyment
in overcoming the fears which once mastered
me, though, | must confess, | had not en-
tirely shaken off my belief III the existence Of
ghosts-that is, did not believe in them at
oil in the daytime, hut when night came
was not SO certain about it,
the marshes on the.river were fine ground for
them usually, but this season the weather had
been SO singularly warm that the sport had
been poor, and though had secured every
canal in the marsh, and every bend in the
river as far as No Haid Pawn hammock, as
the stretch of drifted timber and treacherous
marsh was called that marked the boundary
line of that plantation, had had bad luck
Beyond that point | had never penetrated,
partly, no doubt, because of the training of
my earlier years, and partly because the
marsh on either side of the hammock would
have mired IA cat. Often, as | watched with
envious eyes the wild duck rise up over the
dense trees that surrounded the place and cut
straight for the deserted marshes in the horse
shoe, | had had a longing to invade the mys-
FERROUS domain, and crawl to the edge of No
Haid Pawn and get Ia shot at the fowl that
fioated on its black surface; but something
had always deferred me, and the long
reaches of No Had Pawn were left to
the wild fowl and the ghostly rowers.
Finally, however, after a spell whose high
temperature was rather suited TO August than
April, in desperation at my i'll luck | de
termined to crafty my curiosity and try Ne
Ilaid Pawn. So one afternoon, without tell
ing any one of my intention, crossed the
mysterious boundary and struck through the
swamp for the unknown land
The marsh was far worse than had an
ticipated, and no one but a duck hunter
experienced and jealous as myself, and as in
different to ditcheS, brierS, mre and all that
make swamp, could have penetrated 1t at
ALL Even | could never have got on if |
had not followed the one path that led into
the marsh, the reputed part" of the evil
spirits, and, as it was, my progress was
both tedious and dangerous.
The track was a mysterious one, for
| though knew 1t had not been trodden 10y Il
human foot in many years, vet there verita-
BILE part" it lay. In some places it was al
most completely lost, and | would fear
| should have to turn hack hnt an overhang-
ing branch or a vine swinging from one tree
| TO another would furnish 4 way to some spot
| where the narrow trail began again. Ia other
| spots old logs thrown across the miry canals
| gave me an uncomfortable feeling as | re-
| ne,'ted what feet had last crossed an them
| On both sides OF this trail the marsh WAS
| either an impenetrahle Jungle on Il mire ap-
| pareiitly bottomless
l shall never forget my sensations as
| ing, if that desolate waste of Willows, cane
| and swamp growth could he so termed
| About me stretched the jungle, over which a
/ greenish lurid atmosphere brooded, and
! straight ahead lowered the gaunt mansion,
| a rambling pile of sont'eF white with mum
| herIess vacant windows staring at from
| the leafiess trees about it Only one other
| clump of trees appeared above the canes and
| brush, and that | knew 10y intuition was the
graveyard.
think should have turned back had not
shame imIellei me forward
Myprogress from this point WAS even more
difficult than 1t had been hitherto, for the
trail at the end of the wood termi
| mated abruptly in a gut of the swamp;
| however, l managed to keep on by
walking on hamfnocks, pushing through
| clumps of bushes and wading as best could
/ Ii was slow and hot work, though
| 1t never once struck me that it must he get
/ ting late had become 50 accustomed to the
/ gloom of the woods that the more pen ground
appeared quite light to me, and ! had not
| paid any attention to the black cloud that had
been for some time gathering overhead or to
the 1arkening atmosphere.
! | suddenly became sensible that it was
| going to rain However, | was 50 much en-
| crossed In the endeavnr to get on that evesi
| then / took little note Of it The nearer
came to the house the more it arrested my
attention and the more weird and unCanny
1t looked Canes and bushes grew up to the
very door; the window shutters hung from
the hinges; the broken windows glared like
eyeles> sockets. the poTtico had fallen away
from the wall, while the wide door std61
slightly ajar, giving to the place singularly
CHASTITY appearance somewhat akin to the
color which sometimes fingers on the face of
a corpse. In my progress wading through
the swamp had gone around rather to the
side of the house toward where ] supposed the
pawn" itself to lie
was now quite near to it, and striking a
little less miry ground, as l pushed my way
through the bushes and canes which were
higher than my head, became aware that
was very near the thicket that marked the
graveyard, just beyond which | knew the
pond itself lay. / was somewhat startled,
for the cloud made it quite dusky, aud step
ping on long piece of rotten timber lying on
the ground, parted the bushes 10 look down
the pond. As did so the rattle of chain
grated on me, and CHANGING up through the
cane before me appeared a heavy upright
timber with al arm or cross beam stretching
from it, from which dangled long chain
almost rusted away. l knew by instinct that
stood under the gallows where the murderer
of No Had Pawn had expiated his dreadful
crime. His corpse must have fallen just
where stood. | started back appalled,.
Just then the black cloud above me was
parted by a vivid flame and peal of thunder
seemed to rive the earth
turned i'll terror, but before l had
gone fifty yards the storm was upon me, and
instinctively | made for the only refuge that
was at hand. 1t was a dreadful alternative,
but did not hesitate. Outside | was not
even sure that my life was safe And with
extraordinary swiftness had made my way
through the broken iron fence that lay rust
ing in the swamp had traversed the yard,
all grown up as it was to the very threshold,
had assembled the sunken steps, crossed the
rotted portico and entered the open door
A long, dark hall stretched before me, ex-
tending, as well as | could judge in the gloom,
entirely across the house A number of doors,
some shut, some liar, opened on the hall on
one side; and broad, dark stairway assembled
on the other to the upper story. The walls
were black with mold AT the far end large
bow window, with all the glass gone looked
out on the waste of swamp unbroken save
by the clump Of trees in the graveyard, and
just beside this window was break where
the dark staircase descended to the apart
of advanced decay; almost the entire plaster
l.. 4 I'll Il